Jeff Cooper Quotes About Self Defense
-
Therefore, if you are attacked, retaliate instantly. Be sudden. Be quick. Speed is your salvation.
→ -
By doing what our assailant least expects us to do, we may throw him completely off. ... what he usually least suspects is instant, violent counterattack, so the principle of aggressiveness is closely tied to threat of surprise.
→ -
The essential thing is to bear always in mind that trouble can appear at any time. Be aware.Be ready.Be alert.
→ -
Anyone who appears to be triggered out of watchfulness and into action by your appearance must be explained. Anyone observing you carefully must be explained. Anyone whose behavior seems to be geared to yours must be explained. If the explanation does not satisfy you, be ready to take appropriate defensive action.
→ -
The one who anticipates the action wins. The one who does not, loses.
→ -
It is true that a victim who fights back may suffer for it, but one who does not almost certainly will suffer for it.
→ -
It is high time for society to stop worrying about the criminal, and to let the criminal start worrying about society. And by "society" I mean you.
→ -
Use your eyes. Do not enter unfamiliar areas that you cannot observe first. Make it a practice to swing wide around corners, use window glass for rearward visibility, and get something solid behind you when you pause.
→ -
We are fully justified in valuing the life and person of an intended victim more highly than the life of a pernicious assailant. The attacker must be stopped. At once and completely.
→ -
Your mind-set is your primary weapon
→ -
The perfect fight is one that is over before the loser really understands what is going on. The perfect defense is a counterattack that succeeds before the assailant discovers that he has bitten off more than he can chew.
→ -
Don't try to be fancy. Shoot for the center of mass. The world is full of decent people. Criminals we can do without.
→ -
On the very instant that we know that our assailant intends us serious physical harm, we must work just as fast as we can.
→ -
The criminal does not expect his prey to fight back. May he never choose you, but, if he does, surprise him.
→ -
The best personal defense is an explosive counterattack.
→ -
If you find yourself under lethal attack don't be kind. Be harsh. Be tough. Be ruthless.
→ -
Know what is behind you, and pay particular attention to anything out of place.
→ -
What you do to prevent further felonious assault, as long as the felon is still capable of action, is justified.
→ -
Observe your cat. It is difficult to surprise him. Why? Naturally his superior hearing is part of the answer, but not all of it. He moves well, using his senses fully. He is not preoccupied with irrelevancies. He's not thinking about his job or his image or his income tax. He is putting first things first, principally his physical security. Do likewise.
→ -
It's a matter of will. If you know that you can keep your head, and that you must keep your head, you probably will keep your head.
→ -
An armed man, especially if he is armed with a firearm, is dangerous as long as he is conscious. Take no chances. Put him out.
→ -
"What would I do if?.." By thinking tactically, we can more easily arrive at correct tactical solutions, and practice - even theoretical practice - tends to produce confidence in our solutions which, in turn, makes it easier for us, and thus quicker, to reach a decision.
→ -
Speed is the absolute essence of any form of combat
→ -
The proper course of action, when under attack, is usually to counterattack.
→ -
If violent crime is to be curbed, it is only the intended victim who can do it. The felon does not fear the police, and he fears neither judge nor jury. Therefore what he must be taught to fear is his victim.
→ -
Now how do we cultivate an aggressive response? I think the answer is indignation... Your response, if attacked, must not be fear, it must be anger.
→ -
Anger, as long as it is controlled anger, is no obstacle to efficiency. Self-control is one thing the sociopath does not usually possess. Use yours to his undoing.
→ -
The specific course you decide upon is, within certain parameters, less important than the vigor with which you execute it.
→ -
Anyone who is aware of his environment knows that the peril of physical assault does exist, and that it exists everywhere and at all times.
→ -
Let your attacker worry about his life. Don't hold back. Strike no more after he is incapable of further action, but see that he is stopped.
→
